Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

"Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell is a writer who enjoys taking a sideways look at issues and beliefs that are universally held and asking if we are really correct in our beliefs. His most famous book: 'The Tipping Point' looked at what causes things to change from something quite normal to something suddenly popular and successful. 'Blink' examined the role that making snap and subconscious decisions played in our lives. Though there is generally a lot of research featured in his books - they are not science books - containing as much in the way of anecdotes as hard and fast facts.


Gladwell is firmly an apolitical figure - he doesn't have an agenda or a desire to puncture anyone's beliefs or to prove anyone wrong. You get the impression he is genuinely curious and is doing the research for his own interest - he would probably do it regardless of whether he was writing a book or not.

Outliers (one that appears to deviate markedly from other members of the sample in which it occurs) follows a similar thread to his previous books by taking a look at success - what's behind it, what isn't behind it, and whether 'talent' as we know it, really exists at all. Without giving the whole book away, Gladwell seems to suggest that the idea of a self made man (or woman) simply does not exist. It is impossible to lift yourself out of the mire on sheer will/talent/intelligence alone - those who have become successful or lauded as geniuses have got there on a combination of hard work, a good support network (both social and cultural) and no small slice of good fortune (mostly being in the right place at the right time). 

This book seems mostly focused on his American audience - many of his examples are based in the US, and some of his anecdotes are a little too sugar coated for a more cynical audience. However, I suppose the fact that many Americans like to see their country as a place where you can make if you simply work hard enough - means it is the country that Gladwell needs to set straight more than any other.

His most interesting and discussed point in this book is the '10,000 hour theory': Anyone who is regarded as a Genius will have had at least 10,000 hours of practise before they achieved the height of their profession (Mozart, The Beatles, Bill Gates etc.). He suggests, that as long as it's developmental practise, then this theory is pretty much guaranteed (though success and genius are not hand in hand). It is something also discussed in Matthew Syed's book: Bounce - which looks at what creates sporting success. Syed agrees with Gladwell - and cites examples of Kenyan distance runners, who start off early on by running to school every day. It's a smack in the face for those who believe that talent is inherited or that people are born with it - and a comfort to those who believe in hard work, and lots of it.

I broadly agree with what Gladwell has to say in the book - and that's possibly the only annoying thing with it -he seems to think that he is really going against the grain and will be causing great consternation and argument by what he has to say. At one point he makes the argument for the oldest children in primary school classes having a major influence on their progress from then on - particularly in sports (though it is applicable in academics too). This is something I remember the missus talking about years and years ago.

Nonetheless there is plenty of food for thought in here - there will probably be at least one well made argument that goes against what you had until now, presumed to be true. For that alone, it's worth a look.